No Secrets
by Pigpen375
Summary: Secrets.  The power of information.  What would be the outcome if the hidden truth was known by all? Unknown as to pairings. Semi-super Naruto. Rated M to cover language.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everybody! This is my first attempt at a fanfic, I hope you enjoy it. I haven't seen once with this premise yet, and I always wondered what would happen. I don't own anything, unless I thought it up myself, but I have read so many of these things that I will probably end up borrowing something from someone. I will do my best to give credit where credit it due, so if you're reading, and you you think I just straight up copied a jutsu or plot device, let me know so I can give credit. So here we go. -pp

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><p>Once appeared a nine tailed demon fox. One swing of it's mighty tail could crumble mountains and cause tsunamis. To fight the demon, the people assembled the shinobi. One brave shinobi was able to seal up the demon in a newborn child, but he lost his life. That shinobi was called the 4th Hokage.<p>

Standing over the Minato Namikaze's fallen body, still cradling his son in his lifeless arms, Hiruzen Sarutobi pondered the 4th's last words and actions. The professor, the so-called god of shinobi, had seen a lot of things of the course of his life, and made many decisions that affected the entirety of nations, but, standing before the remaining shinobi of Kohona, he was stumped. He knew that he would need to come out of retirement and retake the mantle of Hokage, but he had no idea how the collective survivors were going to process the information. Rumors in a ninja village spread like wildfire, and while he was the only man to hear the 4th's last request, he knew that word of the fox's sealing in a baby would have major repercussions throughout the Fire County.

The 3rd Hokage sighed. Neither his shinobi nor the civilian population would simply ignore the fact that this child contained the demon. The 4th wanted his son to be viewed as a hero. He was the dam that contained the raging force of nature that was the nine tailed fox. Minato could not ask another person to sacrifice their child, so he had taken his own in the hopes that one day his son would have the power to protect the village as he did.

The 3rd turned around to look at his forces. Broken, bleeding, the dead and dying lay around him. His medical shinobi were frantically trying to save those that could be saved, flitting from place to place like hummingbirds on a spring morning. His people were in need, his students were spread throughout the known world, and he knew that the road to recovery would no be easy. Sarutobi silently cursed, wishing that Tsunade was still in the village, or that he hadn't listened to his former teammates regarding her proposal for a formal medic-nin program. Pushing those thoughts aside, he focused on his next actions. As leader, his next words would form a lasting impression, and he still had no ideas on how to accommodate the last wishes of his successor. He needed to think and act quickly, more quickly than he would have liked.

Suddenly wishing for his pipe, he enhanced his voice with a simple enhancement jutsu. "Shinobi of Kohona, the 4th Hokage has defeated the demon fox." He paused as he heard the cheers from the collected people who were not close enough to survey the battle site. After a moment, and choking back his own tears, he continued: "But this was not without cost. Minato Namikaze, the 4th Hokage, is dead. He gave his own life to protect this village- He was a true hero."

His voice grew softer. "The Will of Fire was strong in Minato, and there is no greater honor than to valiantly strive to protect the ones that you love. He loved Kohona and it's people. We are all blessed to have had him grace our lives."

The 3rd paused again, choosing his next words very carefully. "His sacrifice will not be in vain, for the village still stands. We shall rebuild. We shall live and honor his memory by becoming stronger."

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><p>With that, the 3rd scooped up the crying baby in his arms, and gestured to the ANBU shinobi. While he waited, they retrieved the fallen hero, and together they began the walk back to the village. Even with all his years as a front-line shinobi, Sarutobi was hard-pressed to ignore the sounds of misery and sadness that surrounded him. Even more distracting, however, were the collect looks of scorn and hatred directed at the still wailing child in his arms. Something had to be done, and quickly.<p>

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><p>AN: So, the first chapter is done. Thanks for reading! Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone, but I'm pretty sure this one is clean.

Also, the first couple chapters may be a little slow paced, but I need to set up the story before anything real happens.

See you soon!

-pp


	2. Chapter 2

OK chapter 2. Again, I'm going to try to move the pace along a little bit, but the set up is too important to skimp on.

-pp

Recap: The nine tailed fox demon has been defeated, sealed by the 4th Hokage into his newborn son at the cost of his life. Hiruzen Sarutobi has taken the child into his custody as the village mourns, and the 3rd plans to honor the fallen hero's last wishes.

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><p>It was hour five of the council meeting, and Sarutobi was doing his best to maintain his composure. They civilian and shinobi joint counsel had gone over most of the reconstruction efforts, but it was no easy task. Every project they had discussed had been thoroughly debated, and the civilians were wearing the collected shinobis' patience. The shinobi hadn't even had a chance to go home before the meeting convened, and all had participated in the battle. It seemed as if every major rebuilding plan, every recovery item, and every structural change was up for debate. Even more troubling was the absence of a representative from the Uchiha clan. Fugaku would be busy as the chief of the Police force- invasions brought out looters and vandals, but surely they would have sent someone! Regardless, Sarutobi knew that this meeting was far from over, but at least the civilians had not gotten to the subject of the demon fox's sealing. It was only a matter of time before the floodgates broke.<p>

Just prior to the 3rd had sent messages via hawk to his students, urging their return, but even if they responded, they would not make it back in time to help him here. Surely Jiraiya would return, if only to pay his respects to Minato and to check in on his godson. Tsunade was a different animal altogether. After she lost Dan in the second war, she had fled, still angry with her sensei for not including medic-nin on every team like she had asked. Sarutobi had passed it by the counsel and the elders, but they felt the expense of implementing the program could not be justified in the middle of the war. She ran, taking Dan's niece, and left, probably forever. Sarutobi sighed, and turned his attention back to the counsel meeting.

The 3rd looked at the shinobi on the council. Each face was outwardly impassive, but having years of experience in judging the fitness of his warriors, Sarutobi could tell they were all strained. The civilians on the counsel were using every proposal to try to shift funding away from the shinobi with varying success, and it was clear that it would not take much to set them off. He needed to stop this before the fuse was lit.

Clearing his throat and flaring his chakra, the 3rd spoke: "I think we have covered enough matters for the night, dawn is breaking, and the clan heads need to rest. We can continue this tomorrow." With that he stood.

"But what about the demon?" All the heads in the room turned to the back to see a short man, pushing glasses up his nose. "I haven't said anything this entire meeting. I have been waiting while you ninja and self important fools discuss tariffs while ignoring the most important topic! I went out to the battlefield, there was no body! What happened to it?"

Sarutobi sighed. He was too late. With everyone exhausted, and their emotions heightened, this was going to be tricky. "The fox was sealed, and that is all there is to know. The remainder of the information is shinobi business. If you would excuse me..." Sarutobi turned to the door while speaking and started to walk, when the mousey man spoke again.

"Don't give me that nonsense... _Shinobi business_. Feh! You know, _Hokage-sama_, that I served proudly for many years! You have no right to dismiss our concerns! Our village was nearly destroyed by that thing and we deserve to know if our families will be safe!"

The remaining civilians, recovered from their shock, began to grumble and shout in unison. Even the shinobi clan heads turned to the 3rd expectantly. This would not end well.

"The 4th, the greatest seal-master in our village's history, has sealed the fox. He gave his life to do it mere hours ago. Your lack of faith in our village's greatest hero is disturbing, Yakushi. I know you have recently retired, but you yourself have seen the Yellow Flash in action. I will not tolerate further complaints." Sarutobi silently hoped that his cutting comments to the former chief medic-nin would stem the tide. As he glanced around the room however, he knew that it had done nothing.

It was time to put his plan into action. "As I see that this matter will not drop, I will tell you everything. This is a Class S Ninja secret. Anyone who is caught speaking of it will be immediately dealt with- Is that understood?"

The dark edge and killing intent to his tone apparent, the 3rd looked around the room. The collected civilians seemed sufficiently cowed as he glanced at the Shinobi. They gave a quick nod, and he continued. "The fox was a force of nature. You could not kill the nine tails in the same was that you can not kill a tsunami. You can however, seal it away, much in the same way that a dam can hold back a raging river. Many villages have jinchurikis. Our fiercest rival, Iwa, has two, the four and five tails." Hiruzen paused as he noticed a twitch of anticipation from Danzo, seated with his former teammates. "The 4th has created another jinchuriki for the fox, in the hopes that this child shall be the protector of Kohona. The son of the recently deceased Kushina Uzumaki, born today moments before the attack, was the only child suitable to house the fox."

All hell broke loose in the council chambers. The civilians stood as one and began to scream for the child's death. Interestingly enough, many of the shinobi present joined in. The noise grew so loud that Hiruzen quickly checked the privacy seals to make sure that they had enough chakra to withstand the clamor. After a minute of nonstop noise, the 3rd was about to silence the crowd when a giant hand smashed a desk on the side of the room.

Sarutobi quickly spiked enough killing intent to silence the civilians, causing more than a few to faint. Even the shinobi flinched at the raw fury coming from their hokage. "Clan head Chouza Akimichi! Control yourself!"

Chouza glared at his leader, and released his jutsu, his arm shrinking back to his normal size. He spoke slowly, "My apologies, Hokage-sama, I let my emotions get the best of me, but even the 4th could make mistake. The Akimichi clan has suffered massive losses this day at the hands of that demon. The safest course of action is to kill it. We must kill the demon." Hearing the murmurs of approval from many of the crowd, the stout clan head continued with more urgency in his voice, "We cannot trust that the demon will not be in complete control of the child. It is best for the village if the threat was removed immediately."

The room erupted again, when Danzo Shimura stood from his position in the corner and cleared his throat. "People of the Leaf. I propose you give me the child. I will tutor him in the ways of the shinobi arts, and mold him into a perfect weapon. Our beloved Hokage is right in this respect. Our enemies are many. The threat of Iwa still looms, and they have two jinchuriki, already trained in the ninja arts. Our best chance for survival after this- unfortunate event is to become stronger as a village. I will make this Uzumaki boy into the perfect weapon. Under my watch, should this child lose himself to the demon, or should the fox try to escape, I will be able to dispatch him immediately. I trust that this is a fair offer, no?"

Around the council room, the civilians' blood-thirst seemed to be slated. The two remaining elders nodded in approval. The 3rd narrowed his eyes at his former rival. There was no way that the 4th's child was going to be given to Danzo. That, he could guarantee. He knew that the elders continued their support for Root, even after Minato had abolished the group. Sarutobi had disagreed with the decision. Although Danzo was constantly a danger, and had lead numerous attempts at subverting his rule as Hokage, Sarutobi knew that Danzo's first priority was a security of the leaf, even if he disagreed with his methods. The plain fact was that Danzo in the shadows was far more dangerous than Danzo in the light. The other clan heads were wary of Danzo as well. Shikaku Nara glanced sidelong at Inoichi Yamanaka, who narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. Tsume Inuzuka growled, while Hiashi Hyuuga and Shibi Aburame remained stoic, although there was a slight buzz emanating from his coat.

Sarutobi coughed, getting the attention of all in the room. "That is not acceptable. The 4th specifically requested that the boy be trained as a shinobi of Kohona, but you will not be transforming him into one of your soulless monsters, Danzo. Minato Namikaze specifically disagreed with your methods of training. In fact, if I recall correctly, under the 4th's edict, you are not to take anymore students, if I am correct?"

Danzo sat down, with no visible reaction. Inside, however, he fumed. 'The clever old geezer. Even the civilian council will not break the 4th's laws so quickly after his passing. I will have that boy somehow...' He quickly lost himself in thought, and, in doing so, nearly missed the next words out of the 3rd's mouth.

"The 4th wished for Naruto Uzumaki to be seen as a hero, and he is under the protection of the Hokage. Is that understood? After all, this is only fitting, considering that he is the last heir of the Namikaze." Sarutobi smiled as he waited the moment for his last comments to settle in. After a heartbeat, the room exploded again. The cries of many of the civilians were clearly heard through the crowd.

"Impossible! The 4th made his son into a demon! I don't believe it!"

"We demand proof Hokage-sama!"

"It doesn't matter who he is, we must kill the demon!"

Sarutobi smirked, though loud, a substantially fewer number of people were outwardly screaming. The greater civilian population of the room were either whispering to themselves or simply awestruck. The shinobi, however, were quickly shooting hand-signs across the room at each other. Even given the events of the day, fighting a 300 foot fox, the hours of the council meeting, the information that the fox was sealing in a newborn, nothing could have prepared them for this information.

Shikaku, was quickly signing back and forth with his teammates and long time friends, Inoichi and Chouza. "Minato sealed it within his own child, he truly is a hero, that troublesome bastard." Inoichi looked on in shock, he has only been installed as a clan head in time for this meeting, as the former Yamanaka head had fallen in the battle with the fox. 'Is this what being a clan head means? Are all council meetings like this?" He thought, trying to wrap his head around the information.

Chouza just stared straight ahead. His heart had dropped the moment he realized what had just happened. He had just demanded the murder of his friend's child. He had always liked Kushina, she had been nice to him from the time they were children, but they were never very close. Now, however, he had nearly condemned the only child of his comrade, his leader, and one of his closet friends. Chouza felt sick. The Akimichi were intensely loyal to those who over-looked their obvious physical appearance, especially when they are children.

Chouza thought back to the first day he had met Minato. He was already regarded as a genius in the academy, while Chouza was not even the stronger Akimichi in his class. He would spend every day at lunch alone, training, while the other children ate and played. He never ate at school, because the other children would just laugh at his appetite. That day, he had been trying to practice his chakra control, and had over-done it. He collapsed, and when he awoke, his lunch period was far over, and the older class was already outside. As Chouza tried to sneak into the building, he was surrounded by a couple of the older students.

"Hey chubs, are you lost? Shouldn't you be inside with the rest of the babies?" The crowd laughed while the ringleader began to kick the weakened Akimichi heir.

Chouza closed his eyes as he hit the ground. He still remembers the feelings of hopelessness and shame. He was unable to do anything, and he couldn't even try. Suddenly, the blows raining upon him stopped. Wincing, he opened his eyes to see a pair of open-toed sandals facing the opposite direction. Looking up, he was able to make out a light blue jacket with black bars down the arms, which were currently holding his attacker's arm behind his back. The jacket was worn by a slight boy, with a mop of blond hair, who was scowling.

"Hikaru, what is wrong with you? I would have thought that Wataru-sensei taught you never to attack a fellow Kohona citizen? Let alone a kid who is clearly suffering from chakra exhaustion." The blond boy turned, and tossed Chouza a bag of chips. "Here, eat this, you Akimichi need to eat to be able to fuel your reserves, otherwise you'll just wear yourself out like you did."

Chouza's struggling attacker, started sputtering. "Back off Minato, teacher's pet! This has nothing to do with you... augh!" The bully yelled as Minato twisted his arm more.

"Let me tell you this, Hikaru," Minato's eyes narrowed, "every time a fellow villager is attacked, it has to do with me. If I even _think_ you're going to be beating up those that are smaller than you, I will break every bone in your body."

The collected crowd began to break up as the chunin instructors entered the yard. Minato threw Hikaru forward, and the boy stumbled directly into one. "W-w-wataru-sensei! I-i-i-i..." He never finished as the large chunin grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside.

Minato turned and picked Chouza up, "Name is Minato! Remember it, because I'm going to be Hokage someday!" The blond boy smiled, and walked away.

Chouza remembered the incident like it was yesterday. From that day on, Minato was like a god to him. He was proud to serve in his unit in the Third Shinobi war, and was present when his friend used a shadow clone to distract the entire platoon in order to dispose of over 300 Iwa shinobi in one battle, the one that earned him the title, the Yellow Flash. When Inoichi and Chouza had confronted him, about leaving them behind, Minato had just smiled and said, "I didn't want to risk my comrades. I'm sure you would have jumped in if I needed back up, right Shika?"

He laughed as he nodded to Shikaku who was lounging under a tree with his eyes closed. "Troublesome bastard." He murmured, while opening his eyes.

Now, however, Chouza's world was shattered. In just a few words, the 3rd had made him confront just how ridiculous his position was. He was willing to slaughter a baby! A child! Chouza was a kind man, a gentle soul, and his grief had blinded him. His own son was only months old, and he had nearly condemned an innocent.

"Enough!" He shouted. "The Akimichi clan acknowledges Naruto Uzumaki as a hero, the _Kitsune no Kanshu _(Jailer of the Fox)! Minato's legacy will be preserved, and the Akimichi offer sanctuary within our estate!"

Sarutobi nodded in approval as the civilians quieted down.

"The Nara clan also acknowledge the heritage and status of the child." Shikaku yawned.

Shocked that the Nara would speak so suddenly, the other clan heads looked as if they were about to jump out other their seats to speak. One by one, all the clan heads gave approval of the 4th's lineage and last request with the except of the absent Uchiha.

Hiruzen just sat down and smirked. His plan had worked perfectly, but only because Chouza had been so ridden with guilt. The 3rd felt a little bad at manipulating the large man, but he quickly pushed it aside as each clan came forward with approval of Naruto. The shinobi clan heads' approval was a huge step, but the civilians were another matter. Although they could do nothing without the support of the shinobi, he needed to address the civilians.

After the last shinobi spoke, Sarutobi rose again. "From this day forth I am enacting a new law! The fact that Naruto Uzumaki contains the nine tails will be regarded as an S ranked secret. The 4th had many enemies, and while I am sure that we can keep the child safe, the knowledge that he is also a jinchuriki will bring the rest of the ninja world down upon us. Anyone currently under the age of 4, and all children born from this day forward with not be permitted to know this child's burden. Any mention of it will be considered treason against Kohona and the office of the Hokage! These are my words, the Sandaime Hokage of Kohona!" He smiled, "I think we are done for the night." Sarutobi rose and left the room as the crowd erupted again.

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><p>AN: Here is chapter 2! Hopefully you enjoyed it! As it turns out, at least 1 person has read chapter 1. Neat! Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone, but I'm pretty sure this one is also clean.

Things will pick up pretty soon.

See you soon!

-pp


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 already! Phew! I am happy that in only 2.5 days I've gotten 125 visitors and over 200 hits. Pretty sweet!

The pace needs to move quicker, I know...

-pp

Recap: After several hours of council meetings, the 3rd Hokage revealed that the boy that was made into the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox, Naruto Uzumaki, was actually the son of the fallen 4th Hokage, Minato Namikaze. After that shocking revelation, the clan heads then voiced their support for the child. Sarutobi then created a law, hiding the boy's jinchuriki status from the younger generation.

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><p><em>Three Weeks Later<em>

Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, leaned on the window of his sensei's office. "So, that's what you did sensei? Are you sure that's wise?" The edge in his voice was apparent. Jiraiya of the Sannin, one of the most powerful ninja to walk the planet, was angry.

Sarutobi drew upon his long pipe as he glanced sidelong at his former student. Jiraiya had arrived a few hours ago, just days after receiving the messenger hawk. At the time, Jiraiya had been encamped somewhere on the far side of the Land of Earth, dodging border patrols. Upon receiving the message, he came back at almost inhuman speed, assisted at night by traveling toads who had verified the truth of the nine tails attack.

After paying his respects to Minato's freshly marked grave, he had reported directly to the Hokage Tower, where Sarutobi had filled him in on the events. "I am old enough to know that the wisdom of decisions will be judged by those who remember them, not by the senile old fools as they make them." Sarutobi sighed, "I don't know anything anymore, but Minato's last requests were impossible to grant any other way. While Naruto will never been seen as a hero for simply being a jinchuriki, as least the respect that others had for his father will hopefully prevent him from being totally shunned by the village. At least, that is my hope."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and tossed a scroll at the Hokage. "I found that information when I intercepted a patrol on the Iwa-Taki border on my way home. Take a look and see if you still think this was the only way." Jiraiya paused as Sarutobi opened the scroll.

Scanning the scroll, Sarutobi's eyes went wide with shock. "I-is this? Are you sure that..."

"It's good information, _Hokage-sama_. It seems that village security isn't what you thought it was." Jiraiya was livid. "You may have just sealed the last Namikaze's death warrant. I highly doubt that this is the only scroll with this information, so it's reasonable to assume that Iwa now knows that the Yellow Flash had a son, and he is the jinchuriki of the nine tailed fox. Damn it sensei! They have probably put a bounty on his head already! A baby!" Jiraiya turned away from his teacher. "I guess this means I have to stay around for a while, sensei. Congratulations, you have at least one student back."

The sarcasm in Jiraiya's tone did not go unnoticed by his shocked teacher, who sat down, and composed himself. After a moment of silence, the 3rd looked up at the Toad Sage with a gleam in his eye. He was not called the professor for nothing, he could easily turn this into an advantage for his homeland. "Let Onoki work himself up over a baby. They would not dare attack Kohona and risk the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Instead they will plan and plot, focused on a ghost of the past. They will waste their time, while you transform your godson into a proper shinobi. You are the greatest living seal master! You can teach the child about using his prisoner! He might be the greatest ninja this village will ever produce! He will be the protector of this village, trained by one of the Sannin from birth! Maybe this information will even reach Tsunade and bring her home. This can all work to our benefit."

"Sometimes, sensei, you are a short-sighted fool." Jiraiya scoffed. "If you wanted me and Tsunade home you could have just thrown a nude drinking party, or legalized gambling." He turned serious and looked his mentor in the eye. "Instead you have just put a target on that boy's head the size of all the elemental nations. I have half a mind to take the boy and leave, just so he can't be used the way you are planning to use him. Kami, you're getting as bad as Danzo!"

The 3rd rose with a dangerous look in his eye. "Personal insults won't make the boy any stronger, _Jiraiya_." He flashed his eyes at the sage and spiked his killing intent. "I always loved you like my own child, but I will not accept open insubordination in the office of the Hokage. I have to think of the village's interests as well as the boy's benefit. I will not be second guessed by a man who shirked all responsibility to his village to traipse around the elemental nations! Minato was a hero, and his son will follow in his footsteps, regardless of whether you approve of my methods. Openly questioning my decisions won't help that boy protect himself when the time comes, and you know that."

Sarutobi released his chakra and sat back down with a sigh. "These times are trying for all of us my old friend, my student. I am so tired. You know as well as any that every decision has repercussions that no man can anticipate. If I have learned anything from years of service, bickering over what is past becomes futile. You make not like it, but what's done is done. Let us prepare for the future. I need you. The village needs you. Your godson needs you."

Jiraiya stepped away from the window with his back to his teacher and stopped. He was not a mindless emotional fool that many took him for. He had spent the years after the last great war traveling under the guise of being a simple author, while cultivating a very important spy network for the village. Jiraiya had given his life to his service, to his village. He never had a family, had very few good friends. While Sarutobi had been like a father to him, Minato had been the closest thing to family he had. He knew that the 3rd had made a mistake, and put Minato's child in danger.

At the same time however, perhaps his sensei was right. Nothing could be done about that now, and the village needed a strong Hokage. Jiraiya, however, was just too angry to let it go at that moment. Maybe in the future, but not when Iwa could be sending in agents to kill his godson while they made simple amends. "I am sorry, _Hokage-sama_." Sarutobi flinched at his tone. "You may be proven right eventually, and I will tow the company line for the village's sake, but do not think I will allow my godson to be turned into some token of the village's strength. I will train him, and teach him the shinobi arts if he chooses to learn them, but I will not force the boy down a dangerous path for no reason, and if he does not wish it, then that will be that."

Sarutobi was rarely shocked this many times in so short a time, but his old student was good at surprises. Even the 3rd could not hold his composure. "You can not be serious! You yourself just mentioned the danger he's in!"

"I never said that he wouldn't be able to defend himself sensei." Jiraiya turned back towards the window. "But if he doesn't want to become a shinobi of Kohona, I will not force him like you are trying to. I have given my life for this village, and I am alone. My only pseudo family is either dead or on the run. The person I thought of as a father-" He paused, looking the 3rd in the eye, "seems to care more about power than the well-being of the child of the greatest hero this village has ever seen. I will not condemn the boy to the same fate as me. That is his decision to make. Not mine, not yours, not that idiot council's, and not Danzo's. His. You had better pray that he turns out like his father."

Sarutobi was stunned. Jiraiya had never spoken to him like that before. Inside, Sarutobi knew that Jiraiya was speaking out of hurt, but the words rang true. Had he just been trying to manipulate the boy in the same way that he manipulated the council earlier? Had the politics of his position overwhelmed his decency? No. His decision was the right one for the village. He did not have the luxury of playing favorites like his students. Even with his spy network, Jiraiya had never borne the responsibility of the entire village. He had done what was right. Being a leader meant that he had to look out for the greater good, even possibly at the expense of a few. Minato understood that, better than everyone. That's why he sealed the demon in his own son!

Still, even thinking his actions through logically, Sarutobi felt stung by his student's words. "I think we all pray he turns out like his father, Jiraiya. I will honor your decision, to a point. I will not force him to do anything against his will, but he will enroll in the academy when he is old enough. He will be too young to truly appreciate his decisions at that point. If, after becoming a shinobi of the Leaf, he decides to remove himself from service, I will not stop him as long as I bear the mantle of Hokage. I will not back down from my choices, we have a difference of opinion, fueled by the emotion of this situation. I just hope that you and I can repair the damage to our relationship that my decisions have made."

Jiraiya propped himself up on the windowsill of the office. "Time heals all wounds, sensei. You know that." He sighed sadly. "That time may not come quickly for us, however. As for the boy, he and I will be taking up residence at his family's compound. I have already removed all of Minato's property and scrolls from this office. Should I even get a whiff of foul play from this office, the council, the elders or that old bat Danzo, I will be leaving with Naruto. While I stay here, I will protect the village, but don't even think of assigning me any missions until further notice. As of right now, I am no longer a shinobi of Kohona. I am just a man raising his godson." With that, Jiraiya was gone.

Sarutobi slumped in his chair as he pondered his student's last words. Sitting suddenly straight, Sarutobi leapt from his chair directly to the hidden wall safe. Opening the safe, he found the contents emptied except for a small note in Jiraiya's handwriting.

It read: "Sensei, we will not see eye to eye on this, I know. Maybe someday we will be ok, but my life is about the boy now, not the village. I have taken all of Minato's things, including the various scrolls in the Hokage vault beneath the tower while we were talking. They will be safe, but they are my godson's legacy, and I will not have anyone else controlling them. By the way, the vault security really needs an upgrade. Because this worked, I know you need some sleep. You look tired, and the village needs a strong leader. Be well. I will see you around. – Your student, Jiraiya"

Sarutobi cursed with a small smile on his face. 'Maybe our bond will be back quicker than I had hoped.' He thought as he walked back to his bay window. 'Be strong for Minato's legacy, Jiraiya. I will be strong for the village.'

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><p>AN: Hopefully you enjoyed Chapter 3. I like the way this interaction worked out. The 3rd has a very tough job, and his willingness to put the village over family makes sense in my head, because at this point in the timeline, I think that Asuma is a part of the guardsmen. Despite his machinations, Sarutobi seems like a softie, and very open to being guilted into things.

I still haven't figured out what to do about Orochimaru. I know his defection happens sometime in the next couple years, but I have no idea how to deal with that. I figure that this is around the time he kidnapped those children to recreate the Wood release, but the manga and anime are not really clear on the timeline. Regardless, he will have to be in the picture because he seems to always be around. As a member of Akatsuki, he implants all those Sharingans in Danzo right after the Uchiha massacre, he tried to take over Itachi's body at some point thereafter, and Oto is too fruitful a ground for the major storyline to just ignore. If people have suggestions, I'm open to them.

Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone.

I keep saying that the pace will pick up... I'm trying dammit! Writing is hard, and it makes my head hurt.

-pp


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4. Already over 550 Hits and over 250 Visitors! Nice!

Review answers:

EX10: Thanks!

kakashidex: Thanks for the thoughts on the early chapters of the story. I didn't think I was too close to the manga originally, because I was covering scenes which so far the manga and the anime hadn't touched, but I see what you were saying- Until chapter 3, I hadn't deviated from the major story at all, but it was all set-up anyway. Hopefully you like the direction where this is going.

Anyway, onto the story.

-pp

Recap: The Toad Sage, Jiraiya, has taken custody of Naruto and moved into the Namikaze mansion. It was necessary because the information about not only the boy's heritage, but also his status as a jinchuriki, has been leaked to Iwa. Now that Jiraiya has learned this, he decided to stay and raise the boy.

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><p><em>Approximately Four Years Later<em>

Jiraiya looked at his godson with a smile. "Now kiddo, you are starting the academy next year, and you are going to show them what you can really do. So that means we train hard for the next year, right?"

"Yeah gramps, I'll do my best!" The boy smiled. Jiraiya was impressed at how far he had come with just a year of training and at such a young age. Dressed in a simple orange t-shirt and blue shorts with open toed sandals, Naruto Uzumaki looked so much like Minato that it scared Jiraiya. He had decided the leave Kushina's last name with the boy, he already had enough people looking for him, there was no reason to put a billboard up.

Iwa had only made five attempts on the boy in the first few years of his life, and none of them were even close. The first three had been stopped even before the village gates, a case of some newly appointed jounin getting too eager to impress their superiors. They were quickly dealt with by border patrols. No serious threat.

The fourth occurred on Naruto's second birthday. Jiraiya had taken Naruto to a small park on the outskirts of the village. He had let Naruto play with the children and taken a seat on the bench overlooking the meadow where three maidens were picking flowers. He had taken out his notepad and started writing an outline for his next novel, when he noticed a chakra spike near the playground. He quickly sprung from his seat and shunshined to the tree behind the sandbox. Quickly doing some hand signs, he created four clones which he henged into a bird, two rocks and a branch.

Looking over at Naruto, Jiraiya noticed that he had began to happily play with the Akimichi and Nara heirs in the sandbox. None of the toddlers seemed to have noticed the odd fluctuation, but he wouldn't have expected them to. Silently, the Toad Sage cursed himself for getting distracted. He knew the pulse had come from this area, but he couldn't tell from where. Stretching out his senses, he tried desperately to locate the source of that chakra, but he had no luck. He was never a sensor type ninja, and this shinobi was clearly hiding his presence, which did not bode well for the children.

Jiraiya lay in wait, silently praying, when suddenly some odd movement in the sand caught his attention. Underground! How could he be so stupid! Of course and Iwa nin would be underground. He made some hand signs and thumped his palm onto the ground next to the tree that was sheltering him. A chakra pulse confirmed his suspicion that the would be assailant would be underground, but he didn't expect there to be six of them. There was no way he could disable all of them before their target was captured. He needed a plan.

Suddenly, he got an idea. If he couldn't stop them from enacting their plan, he would just have to spring the trap. Quickly making three more clones, Jiraiya made a very subtle gesture. Sitting in the place of the clones were the three toddlers, while the clones were now transformed and in the sandbox. For their part, the children looked confused, but they remained silent the moment they saw the Toad Sage put a finger to his mouth. Then, he flared his chakra while making another clone to carry the three kids to safety.

The moment Jiraiya flared his chakra, three sets of hands reached out, grabbed the transformed clone toddlers and pulled them underground, while three Iwa shinobi leapt to the surface, kunai in hand. Jiraiya smirked as he planted his hand into the gut of the first foreign shinobi. The ninja's eyes bulged slightly and blood flew from his mouth, as he was sent backwards in a flash through a tree on the far side of the playground. Jiraiya turned with a rasengan still active to deflect three incoming shuriken.

"Who is next to challenge the great Toad Sage, Jiraiya of the Sannin?" he shouted while flexing his right arm over his head and standing on one foot.

The two remaining shinobi were not amused. "Earth Style: Earth Spear!" The taller one shouted as his skin turned dark, and he rushed the Sannin.

"Earth Style: Rock Pillar Prison!" The second ninja, shorter and stouter than his comrade, placed his palm on the ground. Immediately, pillars of rock enclosed Jiraiya on three sides. The worst part, Jiraiya realized, was that the pillars were placed so tightly around him that he couldn't move his arms.

He formed another rasengan in his right hand and shattered one pillar, but that only afforded a few inches of movement as the taller shinobi reared back with his fist. Jiraiya closed his eyes as the blow came crashing down where his head was. POOF!

The tall Iwa shinobi looked shocked as the Toad Sage disappeared in a plume of smoke. Looking into the tight earth prison, he heard a cry from his stout comrade. Turning around, he saw the man, face down, blood seeping out from underneath his body. The white haired Sannin was no where to be seen.

Suddenly sensing movement from his left, the foreign shinobi turned to see the three bodies of his previously hidden teammates stacked up on a bench, all unconscious. Now in a state of panic, it was all the Iwa nin could do to just maintain his jutsu. He knew that as long as he held it, his skin became like steel, giving him the most protection possible. Although the technique used a tremendous amount of chakra, he had trained for years, and he could maintain the jutsu for close to twenty minutes. Of course, trapped behind enemy walls, and against one of the legendary three ninjas, that was of little comfort.

The Toad Sage had wiped out all the other members of his team within a minute, and didn't seem to be breaking a sweat doing it. This was bad. The Tsuchikage had personally approved this mission with the six of these ninja. That boy had skyrocketed into the Iwa Bingo Books, and become a high ranked priority among the Iwa ninja. The Tsuchikage has specifically withheld the information from the civilian populace, as he felt that the information would be too disheartening. The entire nation had celebrated October 10. They called it: Shinpan no hi (Judgment Day). The day that their greatest foe had been smoten for his sins against Iwa. The Tsuchikage obviously must have known that this boy could not be a threat for years, but he didn't want to lose control over the civilians over a small child, no matter whose loins he had sprung from.

The three shinobi that were now stacked on the bench were extraction specialists! They had trained from the moment they became chunin in every conceivable scenario. The top of their field, they had been hand-picked for this assignment. Of course, the program was designed to extract captured comrades, but the principle was the same, especially because they were after a two year old.

The other members of his team were elite combat specialists, trained in tandem attacks and individual taijutsu and ninjutsu. He and his team had been together since they were genin. They had graduated right after the Third Shinobi War, and had been promoted rapidly, due to both their prowess, and the dire need for higher ranked ninja. He had the Tsuchikage's trust as one of Iwa's strongest, but now he was more helpless than a newborn babe.

Eighteen minutes left. The Iwa nin kept his senses heightened. A noise to the left! He turned, finding nothing but a swing, swaying in breeze. The right! He turned again, seeing a ball bounce across the abandoned pathway.

"You shouldn't have come here." The voice seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere! He shuddered involuntarily as killing intent like he had never felt filled the air. He needed to run, and run fast. As he tried to move, he found his legs stuck. As he tried to force his legs from their position, he felt the presence directly in front of him. "Earth style: Swamp of the Underworld." The voice calmly said.

"P-please, no! Don't..." His voice was trapped in his throat as he found the Toad Sage wrapping his left hand around his neck.

"You come to my village. To attack my godson. You want mercy? MERCY!" Jiraiya raised his voice and tightened his hand. His voice becoming soft again, he generated another rasengan in his right hand. "I've heard about this technique. Earth spear, huh?" Jiraiya mused, "It seems you trained hard to hold it for a very long time. Judging from your chakra reserves I'd say you have at least fifteen minutes left. Time to experiment."

Jiraiya smiled darkly as he pushed the rasengan into the trapped shinobi's leg. "It's remarkably resistant to attacks, I see. I'm going to test those limits." The Iwa nin tried to swallow, but he had no control over his throat. He had to hold the jutsu. Hold it as long as possible. Maybe there was a way out, he had to think! The pressure on his neck kept growing, and the shrill grinding sound emanating from his limbs filled his ears. The constant pulsing of the attack was wearing on his chakra. He could not survive this for much longer. His only thought was escape, but it was impossible.

Minutes later, the white haired sage chuckled darkly and poured more chakra into his attack. The Iwa nin knew he was finished. He mouth was completely dry, and he was nearly drained of all of his chakra. In seconds, the jutsu would fail. He would die. The Iwa nin prayed that he would lose consciousness, but he knew that the darkness would not come quickly enough. He shut his eyes, and silently whispered goodbye.

Over the hill, the three toddlers played with the Jiraiya clone, blissfully unaware of the torture going on a few hundred yards away. The clone looked skyward as the faint cries of terror and pain rang out. A few birds scattered to the winds. The clone just smiled.

That was the closest that Iwa had come. The fifth attempt was during Naruto's third birthday. Again, Ninja had snuck in under the walls of Kohona. This time, however, they had attempted to enter the Namikaze compound. The various seal arrays installed by the 4th, and reenforced by Jiraiya had not only stopped the attack, but frozen the attackers underground and sealed their chakra, while simultaneously transporting the foreign shinobi to the ANBU interrogation cells. It was a handy seal array thought up by the 4th based upon the hiraishin. Minato had wanted to install it under the village walls, but he had fallen to the fox before he had the opportunity. No one else in the village, or the world for that matter, had the technical expertise to complete the project, so it remained only under the Namikaze compound.

While Jiraiya was pleased that the array worked, he knew that Naruto needed to start training. At three, his motor skills were still developing, and he had never been tested for his chakra capacity. Jiraiya knew that it was a little early, but Naruto was a special case. That was one year ago.

Naruto looked up at his godfather, who he had called gramps since he could talk. Seeing the far away look in his eye, Naruto sighed. He was thinking about the past again- or a girl. Honestly, he never understood what gramps saw in them. They were always running from bugs and frogs and stuff like that- all the cool stuff he liked. "Earth to gramps! Hello? Am I going to have to do that leaf thing again? Can I try the tree thing today. I can get it, I swear!"

The sage looked at the boy and laughed. "You want to try the tree thing again? Alright kiddo, go and get the mats, and meet me out by the pond." The boy's eyes lit up as he ran to the shed on the edge of the clearing. 'That kid,' Jiraiya thought, 'he hasn't even made it one foot up the tree, he doesn't have close to the control of muscle needed. Why can't I just tell him no?' He sighed as the young blonde struggled across the field with two large and heavy mats.

"Hey kiddo," Jiraiya called as he walked over to the tree, marking it at four feet with a kunai. "If you can walk up this far by lunch, we go to get ramen. If you don't, then I make you vegetables, and you spend the afternoon on physical fitness. With the weights on this time!"

"I'll do it this time for sure gramps! I'll never give up!" The boy shouted as he held his thumb up. Holding his hands in a sign, he channeled chakra to his feet and ran directly at the tree, only to explode backwards at the first step.

"Kid, what have I told you about controlling yourself! Try again!" Jiraiya yelled. "I'm going to practice some katas on the pond. I'll leave you with a clone." As he turned, the sage smiled. Holding his fingers in a cross sign, he called "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" and fifty copies sprung into existence. Sending one to watch over his charge, he sent fifteen to meditate, twenty five to practice forms while water-walking, and five to work on new jutsu. The remaining clones henged into various animals, which he sent to the various hotsprings around Kohona. He had a book to finish, after all.

After a lunch of vegetables, during which Naruto had pouted, they went back to the training grounds. "Kiddo, you are making great progress. Maybe some day you might even be strong enough to over take me!" Jiraiya laughed at the boy's reaction.

"Really gramps? Am I doing that good?"

Jiraiya sighed, "Well, Naruto, 'am I doing that well.' But yes, you are far ahead of me when I was your age. I must be a great teacher! After all, I trained your dad, and you might even be better than him someday, if you keep working hard."

The blonde's eyes widened so much that they looked like they would pop out of his head. Even better than his dad? He had to get strong! He would pass his gramps and his dad, and be the best ninja ever!

"Before we start this afternoon, I need to review some things, ok kid?"

Naruto looked up at him quizzically. "Again? Ugh!"

"Shush kiddo. Why do shinobi exist?"

"Gramps! That's so easy! They are around to protect everyone! And they are AWESOME!"

"Why do you get stronger?" Jiraiya sternly asked his godson, ignoring the outburst.

"You get stronger through working hard. There are no shortcuts."

"That's a good answer kid, but that's an answer to the wrong question. You skipped to the next one. _Why_ do you get stronger?"

"OH! Sorry gramps! The reason for getting stronger is to protect the people who are precious to you!"

"Good! Now Naruto, seeing as you answered the next question, I will move on. What would you do if someone you care about is threatened?" The Toad Sage looked at his charge seriously.

"Jeez gramps, you never asked that one before. Ummm... I will use my power to protect them?"

"Is that a question?" Jiraiya's eyes narrowed at the boy.

Naruto looked down at his sandals. "No. I guess that's my answer."

The Sannin smiled at the boy and laughed. "That's a fine answer kid. It shows you're thinking. You know what my answer is?" His voice edged dangerously as the blonde shook his head. "I attack without mercy. Those who threaten the ones you love are not worth a second thought. You strike, and strike quickly to protect your precious people... That is my answer."

Naruto looked shocked. His godfather had been serious before, but he had never seen gramps act like that. It was cool, but very scary, especially for a four year old who had never even seen a fight. "T-that's a little scary gramps... Gramps?" Jiraiya had gotten that far off look in his eye again.

Snapping back to attention, the Toad Sage relaxed and laughed. "Sorry, that may have been a little intense for you. Understand that there is good and evil in this world, and everything in between. There is right and wrong. I want you to think about what is right, but do not hesitate to protect those that you care about. Sometimes, as a ninja, you will have to do terrible things. If you do them for the right reason, you could save many lives. You need to become stronger so that you can protect yourself, and everyone you care for. You also must be prepared to use that strength. Do you understand?"

Naruto nodded with a serious look in his eyes. "Good kiddo, now, let's get to work. Put on your weights, and hold these two leaves on the back of your hands with chakra only. Were going to go laps, pushups, squats and sprints. You're going to work until you can't stand, is that clear?" Naruto put on a determined face and saluted. "Alright, let's go kid."

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><p>AN: Chapter 4 DONE! This was my first fight scene. Sorry if it was a little choppy, and the set up for the first action was bad. I'm trying to get better every day! (Cue sunset scene).

Also, I seem to have made Jiraiya a little darker than I expected. Hopefully that doesn't turn people off.

On a complete side note, I still need help figuring out what to do with Orochimaru... I'm stumped and have no ideas. In reality, his defection should have happened during this time skip. I may deal with it in flashback, but I currently have no ideas. Consider this a cry for help.

As always, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone. So far, so good, I think.

(You can also write me for other reasons. I'd like to know whether people actually like or hate this story, my writing, my character assessment, etc.)

See, I told you I'd pick up the pace... Well, not of the story, really, just of the action... I'm working on it...

'til next time

-pp


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Apparently, and I don't know what happened, this story exploded today/yesterday... Over 1025 hits, and over 425 visitors... Craaazy...

Review answers:

kyunaru: No yaoi for me. Not my scene. You're safe, I suppose. I'm glad you like it so far, I wish I was getting better at training scenes, but there's something in this chapter, so I hope you stick with me.

Loiosh311: Thanks so much, I appreciate it!

-Namikaze: I totally agree with you. It really seems like the canon Jiraiya dropped the ball, and I'm glad the tact I took with Jiraiya makes sense to other people.

kakashidex:I'm sorry you didn't like the flashbacks. It seemed the best way to tell the story, but I understand your concerns. Through my first five chapters, I've noticed that I'm relying heavily on those flashbacks, and I hope to stop it soon, but it just makes more sense for me as I'm writing. Maybe, as I pick up the plot a bit, there will be less need for them. I'm hoping. As for your thoughts on Orochimaru, I don't think I can make him a good guy. I know it's an AU fic, but I have my doubts that writing him as good would come across as sincere. If I ever figure out how to deal with him at all, I would like to show some Akatsuki stuff, but the logistics of doing that when I don't even know what role he'll play is making my head hurt. Hopefully you still like the way things are going.

Story time!

-pp

Recap: Training has begun in earnest for young Naruto, as Jiraiya has begun to mentor the boy in the shinobi arts. While all seems well with the world, there are constant reminders of the danger confronting the young blonde as he grows.

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><p>Over the next few months, Naruto was having the time of his life. Every morning, he and gramps would go out to his practice field and work. Every day he got stronger and faster, so he knew he was on his way to being an awesome ninja someday. Then they would have lunch, which was ramen if he did well that morning. In the afternoons, they would either train, or he would go to the park and play ninja with his friends. Life was good.<p>

Jiraiya, meanwhile, was shocked at his godson's progress. While his physical fitness was about average for someone his age, his chakra reserves were through the charts. His learning curve was astounding as well. At this point, Naruto was making fairly good progress with a variety of chakra control exercises, making it easily over the four foot line on the tree with tree walking, and doing it with five leaves stuck to his body. Jiraiya's only complaint what that his prowess with chakra was beginning to clearly out-pace his physical development. Still, that was a minor problem, and the boy was still growing. The entire process was amazing to watch, and the Toad Sage was swollen with pride.

The villagers, however, were oddly split as to how to treat his charge. While many of the shinobi began to gradually accept the young blonde, others seemed to walk on eggshells when the duo passed them in the streets. The civilians were torn as well. While some embraced the Namikaze heir, others treated him with scorn, and outward hostility. This treatment extended to the Sannin himself. It was an interesting dynamic to watch, Jiraiya would think, if he wasn't so involved.

In fact, it was not uncommon for a group of civilians to start to bicker at the mere sight of the two strolling through the marketplace. If one civilian would smile and wave at the boy, another would openly chastise him. If the first to act glared at the child, another in the group would begin adamantly championing the young man. Truly fascinating, if not totally frustrating.

As such, Jiraiya would never let the four year old wander the streets alone, lest he be accosted by the faction that hated him. Of course, the boy was never truly alone. Every time the two left the Namikaze compound, Jiraiya would sense the multiple ANBU members pick up their tail. Jiraiya recognized at least three of them at all times- their captain could be trusted- so he knew there was no threat. Just the old man, checking up on them to make sure there were no problems. On occasion, the Toad Sage would pick up a second ANBU unit, just as hidden as the first.

That was more problematic. Although recovering quite well from the attack of the fox, Jiraiya knew that his sensei could not afford to send two units to monitor Naruto at the expense of the village's workload and security. It was therefore doubtful that the second unit belonged to the 3rd. It meant that Danzo was sniffing around, which was always trouble.

For Naruto's part, however, he seemed completely oblivious to the drama surrounding him. He smiled and waived at the friendly residents of Kohona, and seemed to completely ignore the glares and harsh words directed at him. Jiraiya often wondered if he was actually that dense, or just didn't want to make a scene. His godson had become a little shy like that.

Naruto had hit a minor growth spurt, and needed to be refitted for new clothing and gear. It was hard to keep up with the four and a half year old's growth, but, thankfully, money was not a problem. Even though he had not taken an official mission in years, Jiraiya's books were international bestsellers, leaving him with almost limitless bank accounts. Naruto's inheritance was just as impressive, as the 4th had saved practically every dime he had ever earned. Jiraiya never touched the boy's accounts, but it was a nice luxury to have.

It was around two in the afternoon when Naruto and Jiraiya reached the shinobi supply depot. The owner was a retired ninja, who had served under Jiraiya in the Second War, and served with Minato in the Third. Seeing him behind the counter, and nodding, Jiraiya turned to his ward. "Now kiddo, you need to pick out some new duds. I have a quick errand to run, so don't cause any trouble for Tamura-san. Oh, and Naruto... for the love of kami, don't pick out anything orange. I am so sick of that nonsense."

"But gramps, orange is so cool! When I jump into a battle wearing orange, everyone will turn and stare at how awesome I am- Oof!" The blonde began to rub hit head where Jiraiya had just knocked him.

"When you're actually in a battle, kid, the _last_ thing you want is everyone staring at you, knucklehead. I'll be back in a few minutes, and then we can look at the weapons together, ok?" The blonde nodded, and the Toad Sage turned and exited the store.

Stretching his arms dramatically, Jiraiya quickly assessed to situation on the rooftops. He had been training non-stop to increase his sensing abilities. He already was one of the most stealthy ninja in the world, but the Iwa incident at the playground had clued him in that all the stealth in the world doesn't matter if you had to see your enemy or wait for them to use their chakra in order to find them. There will always be someone better, and waiting for that chakra was like sealing your own death warrant.

So he had began to enhance his senses. It started with the boy. He would instruct Naruto to hide somewhere in the woods on the Namikaze compound, and then try to find him using around ten clones, meditating. Through experimentation, he found that ten was the ideal number for the sensing exercises. For Naruto, it was a fun game of hide and seek, when he didn't get distracted and run after the animals.

After a few months, he would find the boy regularly, and began practicing on his clones. Jiraiya prided himself on his chakra suppression and stealth, so finding his clones in the woods was remarkably difficult. After being able to consistently locate two or three, he began to increase the number, mentally marking their location, and increasing the distance of his senses.

A little over a year later, Jiraiya was extraordinarily pleased with his progress. He would never be as adept as a sensor type shinobi, but he was able to consistently sense and find even chakra-suppressed clones up to one hundred and fifty yards away. He honed his skills wandering the village. With so many civilians wandering around, his getting an accurate count of the villagers within that distance was impossible for him, but he was able to make a mental layout of all the people within thirty feet, and could pick out those with developed chakra quite reliably. Now, it was relatively easy to sense the location of the eight hidden shinobi located nearby, watching him.

It seemed as if Danzo's men and the Hokage's were well aware of each other, but neither was inclined to make a scene. Thank goodness for small favors. Quickly locating the "friendly" ANBU of the Hokage, and mentally marking the Root agents, Jiraiya subtly quirked his fingers, and vanished in a cloud of smoke.

The ANBU captain straightened from his hidden position. This was not going to end well. He had told the 3rd of Danzo's increased activity in monitoring the boy, and the Hokage had specifically ordered him to do nothing but observe. While those were his orders, he wondered how this situation was going to resolve. He knew Jiraiya recognized him, he always did. A hand gesture here, a wink there, and the captain knew that his cover was blown. Of course, what was he to expect from one of the legendary three? He knew that he and his squad were safe from the wrath of the Toad Sage, but if the Sannin was going to go after the hidden Root agents, in the middle of the afternoon, on a public street, what was he supposed to do?

Quickly, he bit his finger, and made a few hand signs. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" A small puff of smoke erupted from his palm. When the smoke cleared, a small pug wearing the Kohona headband appeared into his view. "Pakkun, trouble." The captain grunted from under his porcelain mask. "Tell the old man that it's the toad and the root." The dog quickly turned and scurried off in the direct of the Hokage tower. The captain then made quick signals to his squad to stay hidden unless civilians were in danger. 'Jiraiya-sama, I hope you know what you're doing.'

Jiraiya, in the meantime, had carefully hidden henged clones throughout the area. Danzo's agents hadn't moved, which he found amusing, but he wasn't too concerned. He knew there were searching for him, just as the Hokage's men were. As he positioned himself behind one of the Root shinobi, he noticed a flare of chakra coming from the ANBU captain. 'Careful Kakashi,' he thought, 'don't get involved in this one...' Jiraiya immediately smirked, as he noticed the Root agent in front of him turn his entire attention to the hidden ANBU captain. It was time.

Hatake Kakashi had removed his mask and lifted his headband to reveal his sharingan eye. It probably wasn't necessary for this situation, he knew there was no one in the Root ranks that could match him in a straight battle. He had been hailed a genius his whole life. A student of the 4th, Kakashi had graduated the academy at five, became a chunin at six. He had risen to jonin quickly thereafter, but of course that was during war time. He was only seventeen, but he was an ANBU captain, and already had more experience than the majority of the men under his command. He was a killer, trained in assassination, and had been rumored to have stolen over a thousand jutsu with his sharingan.

Those were just rumors, Kakashi mused, it was only around four to five hundred, but rumors and innuendo kept a shinobi alive. Still, sensing the chakra signatures of the Root shinobi, he knew that he had them outclassed. While it was foolish to underestimate opponents, he knew that only one of them had jonin level chakra, and he had a major advantage. He nevertheless had to consider damage control and civilians, which made the situation tricky.

Kakashi swept the area with his eye. He still hadn't found where Jiraiya had gone. It was incredibly frustrating to the prodigy. The man could not have just disappeared, and yet, he could not pick up the slightest chakra signature of the Sannin. 'Where is he?' he thought to himself. 'I'm better than this, I must find hi...'

Kakashi's thoughts halted as suddenly when, without warning, all four of the root agents winked out. It wasn't that they died... that would leave some residual chakra in their area. No, they had just simply disappeared. He quickly caught the rapid hand signals from his squad mates, who were just as unnerved as he was. He quickly signed back for them to stay hidden and returned to frantically scanning the area.

"Tell the old man I have some prisoners for Ibiki to have a chat with." Kakashi felt a chill run down his spine as he slowly turned to find the Toad Sage leaning up against a water tower on the roof. He hadn't sensed the Sannin, he hadn't heard him, hadn't felt him- he even avoided detection by the sharingan! "You need to stop relying on that eye so much kid, your sensei wouldn't appreciate you becoming a one-trick pony."

"B-but but how?" Kakashi stammered, blinking both eyes in disbelief.

"Now now, I can't give away all my secrets. A word of advice," Jiraiya mused, "that eye a tool, the same as a shuriken or kunai. Even if you are a genius, a tool is only as quick and as good as its user." The Toad Sage narrowed his eyes and smiled, "You're not in my league yet."

With that, the Sannin disappeared again, leaving Kakashi stunned. This time he was able to immediately spot the white haired legend walking back into the shinobi supply depot. Reaching back into his satchel for his ANBU mask, he found a small slip of paper. Palming it, he scanned the contents before burning it quickly with a flick of his fingers. It read, in Jiraiya's scrawl: "Swing by the house when you're off sometime kid, the knucklehead would love to hear stories about his dad, and I may be able to show you a few tricks. By the time you decide to show up, you'll be able to enter the compound. Cheers"

Kakashi shook his head as he signed to his team to stand down. 'Now, how did he do _that_?'

Jiraiya walked back into the store to find Naruto dressed in a black mesh shirt with a short black coat. He wore 3/4 length black shinobi pants with open toed sandals. On his head were a pair of goggles. Naruto was staring into the mirror with a frown on his face. Noticing his godfather in the mirror, the boy turned around. "Tamura-san picked this out for me." He walked up to his protector and began to whisper. "I don't like it gramps, but I don't want to be rude about it. There's no color at all. How are people supposed to notice how awesome I am if I look like I just came from a funeral?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "Well kid, I suppose that really isn't you. I'm sure Tamura-san can help you pick out something slightly more colorful." He nodded to his former ally, who smiled. "Just make sure there's no orange... Anywhere!"

* * *

><p>AN: So we have now met Kakashi. Personally, I think he gets a bad rap in a lot of these stories. I know the manga and anime only showed that he taught Naruto tree-walking in the first part of the story, and nothing else. But, keep in mind that Naruto knew practically NOTHING when he left the academy. Remember his henge?

On Team 7's first real mission, he and Sasuke had perfect teamwork, his taijutsu had drastically improved, he had mastered henge, and he was still working hard on his chakra control. Then during part two the chunin exam, he had progressed even further. I'm not saying that Sasuke wasn't favored, or that it doesn't piss me off that Kakashi didn't bother to tell Naruto that he could use the kage bunshin for training (it does), but to say the man didn't do anything is silly in my opinion.

I think maybe Kishimoto didn't feel like drawing or writing simple training scenes because they were boring, and it's easier to just demonstrate the skills they learned through the action. But maybe that's just me projecting, because I don't feel like writing training scenes. Who knows?

Anyway, long story short, I think Kakashi is treated a little unfairly by the fanfiction world. I'm going to try to avoid that.

In other news, I still haven't the foggiest on how to deal with Orochimaru. I'm avoiding it like the plague. Help me out, folks.

I don't know if my schedule can keep up with my updates. I have been pumping out a new chapter every day or so, but I may need to calm down a bit- I don't want to burn out.

Anyway, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone.

Later,

-pp


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

Sorry for the delay everyone, this LibreOffice writer thing crashed and I lost this chapter as well as the next two. So I rewrote this one as best I could, I think it's better. Also, I know some of you hate flashbacks, and I realized in the middle of this chapter that it's all one huge flashback.

I would like to thank all the people who gave me ideas on Orochimaru. I think I'm going to do more with him soon. This was my first attempt in earnest.

Over 1850 Hits, 675 Visitors! Thanks for the support!

Review answers:

Loiosh311: Thanks again, I think I hate gardening as well.

3domfields: I didn't remember that, thanks for pointing that little fact out. Makes me feel even worse for how Kakashi is treated by the fanfic community. Although, it seems a little out of character for him to not have noticed that before. It is just possible that Kishimoto made that ability of shadow clones up at that point. Even notice how something new is discovered, and then he is all about it for the next few chapters? (See: elemental training.) Anyway, thanks for reading.

kakashidex: Thanks for your notes again. I know you hate flashbacks, so this chapter is going to suck for you. And there's a flashback within a flashback! But at least it's long, right?

mind liger: Interesting thought, I may use that later.

MadaMag: I don't know how to respond to that. Maybe this will be better?

lostWOLF-KING: Also a good thought, I think I'll just see how he comes out.

bookimp: I'm going to try not to follow cannon, but I don't want the world to be unrecognizable. (Also, I'm not THAT creative). And I doubt that Naruto will be going to Oto.

Thanks for reading everyone!

Here we go again

-pp

* * *

><p>The light crept slowly down the patterned wall of the dark corridor. The atmosphere was still, with artificial light of candles flickering with every slight movement of the air. In the distance, or possibly just around the corner, the sound of muffled voices emanated from a small dark cavern. The hallway just ended at the rock of the cavern, as id carved from the mountain above itself. Inside, sat two very different figures. One was a short, very squat inhuman man, wider than tall, hunched over a scroll intently. The other, lithe, long-haired feminine figure, sat back on a reclining couch, chuckling amusedly to himself. The slight cool humidity of the cave was a stark contract to the fire in the squat man's gaze as he turned his eyes up to his companion.<p>

"The last noble underpaid us for silencing those dissidents. Leader will not be pleased." He said in a gravely voice.

His thin comrade barely acknowledged the venom in his partner's voice. "Now now, Sasori, you were able to deal with that rabble in under two minutes. There's no reason to be so angry. Besides," he chuckled, "I was able to gain some interesting specimens for my experiments while we were there. I think it was well worth the discount."

Sasori of the Red Sand regarded his partner carefully before sighing, "Your experiments are fleeting, not like my immortal creations, Orochimaru. At least you didn't delay the our meeting like last time."

The renegade Sannin, former teammate of Jiraiya and student of the 3rd just chuckled. "You act as if we haven't done enough for the _leader_ already. I have only been your partner for six months and we have already filled our quota for the next six. Besides, that last one was personal, I can't imagine the _leader_ would mind too much. Kukukuku."

"Why do you even care enough about that village to continue risking the leader's wrath? You make too much trouble for me, no matter how- effective you are."

It was at that point that the Snake rose to his full height from his couch. The light glimmered in his eyes dangerously. "That _village_, Sasori, failed to appreciate my brilliance. If it wasn't enough of an insult to allow that- that _child_ to succeed sensei, they then condemned me for becoming a legend." He chuckled, regaining his composure, and sat back down, "Those fools cast aside power like they don't need it, that sentimental fool of a hokage prattles on about the will of fire lasting forever, but only I, who have the vision and power of the ages, will become immortal. Much like your puppets Sasori-san. Kukukuku."

"I still think you spend too much time conspiring against your former comrades, and not enough time on our missions. We could have been finished with our tasks for the next year if you weren't so distracted with those Leaf shinobi." Sasori turned back to his scroll and removed a few tools. He looked up again at his companion and grunted, "And that last one was too close to causing a major war. Leader would not have been pleased."

Orochimaru closed his eyes as he reflected upon the incident that Sasori had mentioned, and his history with Kohona. He had only defected from the cursed Leaf six months ago, but that was after several months of planning.

_Flashback_

It was only weeks before Orochimaru had abandoned those Kohona fools for something greater. Sarutobi had gotten much better as locating his hidden bases, and his experiments were getting greater and greater notice among the shinobi. He had been looking for a way to prolong his life for years, attempting to gain immortality to surpass his sensei. The "God of Shinobi" was good at knowing techniques, but Orochimaru sought to learn every technique, to make himself a god of all men. With his skill at learning jutsu, and everlasting life, he would create a new dynasty, where he would rule over the entire world.

Of course, he needed to start somewhere, which is why it hurt so much that he was not chosen to be the village's 4th. It was sometime before the shortsighted village council made their decision that he thought to recreate the Mokuton bloodline of the 1st Hokage. A revival of Hashirama Senju's legendary kekkei genkai would have catapulted him to the position easily. Or so he had thought. While Danzo assured the Sannin that his measures were acceptable for the village's future, Orochimaru should have questioned the heavily sedated "volunteers" that Danzo had provided.

He would admit to himself, in a private moment, that this oversight was a mistake, but he had been so blinded by the possibility of the greater resources that the Root provided that he had ignored his common sense. To make matters worse, his experiment was a failure. Only Danzo, who only underwent the treatment for only his right arm, and a small child named Tenzo, had survived, and Tenzo didn't seem to actually demonstrate any of the ability. Danzo himself could not control the release, and canceled his underground funding.

The villagers themselves were silly fools, blinded by their adoration of the Sannin, and were carefully shielded from the horrific nature of the actual deed, but Sarutobi was not so blind. A fool, but not blind. When his sensei discovered this experiment, he immediately banned human experimentation from the village, and censured the Snake Sannin publicly. There were no laws at that time to do anything further, but being stripped of his seat on the council and removed from active duty indefinitely effectively removed him from consideration to be Hokage. They even relegated him to be a jounin sensei to a bunch of snot-nosed nothings for his attempts to improve the village's strength!

Orochimaru still fumed when he heard that Jiraiya's blond-haired brat pupil had become the 4th. Sure the child was a genius, Orochimaru himself had been impressed with his actions during the Third Shinobi War, but he was still just a child, not even in his thirtieth year! Knowing that he would never get the respect of the village shinobi and his sensei, and his failure to be hokage created a dead-end for his ambitions, he embarked on greater experiments, pushing the limits of current scientific knowledge.

It was one week before he would leave the village. He knew that Sarutobi was on his trail, and he would be found out soon. While Minato had shut down the Root funding, he was rather blind to the thought of underground action. Sarutobi had dealt with Danzo long enough to notice the signs. In fact, Orochimaru had taken great pleasure in leaving his sensei clues to suggest that Danzo was behind all of the bases that he he had abandoned one step ahead of the old fool.

His former teammate had proven a bit of a larger problem. Jiraiya had personally thwarted several of his attempts to "recruit" new volunteers for his experiments, and all while dragging his annoying godson around! Despite his scorn for the 4th, Orochimaru was indifferent to the boy. Being the vessel for the fox, in addition to his lineage, Orochimaru had little doubt that the child would become powerful eventually, even worth some of the Snake Sannin's time. The boy was still years away from being of actual interest, Orochimaru was no baby sitter, eventually however, he could use a soldier like him. The thought of his rival's godson loyally bowing to the Snake had some appeal, but it was unimportant at that time, he was not going to waste any more time in that wretched village.

Still, it was irritating having Jiraiya in the village. That feeble minded oaf was the least talented of his team, but he had become quite crafty, and Orochimaru could not have his intentions come to light. He knew that his secret partners wanted the boy, eventually, but they were not in a position to gather him for several years. That meant that aside from wet nursing the boy, Jiraiya only had Iwa to distract him while in the village. On four separate occasions, the Toad Sage had managed to bumble into his plans, and only succeeded in foiling them because Orochimaru was unwilling to blow his cover as the loyal yet disgraced student of the Hokage. Well, that image was about to die, Jiraiya or not. He was to start his soldier program, and no one could stop it.

He had assembled his chosen few genin, ten to be exact, in order to perfect his newest creation, the Cursed Seal of Heaven. If it worked like he thought, he would have ten perfect soldiers for his personal army. Their desire for power was acknowledged by all the other jounins assigned to them, and it was for this reason that they were chosen. Chosen to be the bearers of the greatest gift a shinobi could receive, power. These children would be the greatest tools in Orochimaru's arsenal. If the Seal worked like he expected, they would gain enhanced strength and speed, their chakra would be augmented by the Sannin's itself, causing a delicious overflow that would literally overwhelm the enemy. It would be perfect.

It was then that Sarutobi found his last lab. After he tripped the first of many alarms, Orochimaru knew he didn't have much time. Calling it a training mission, he told the collected genin to meet him at the Valley of the End, and sent them out through the escape tunnels. Only Anko Mitarashi was skeptical of her mentor's motives, but the Sannin had trained her well. A quick hand gesture sent her loyally with the rest of those pawns, and left Orochimaru alone in his lab when the old fool, dressed in full battle armor, busted down the door. It still made the Snake Sannin chuckle when he thought of his old mentor's face as he left the village forever.

After that, he had officially joined the Akatsuki. He had been a mole in Kohona for months, so he just scheduled a rendezvous with his future partner, Sasori. From that date, he had embarked on several missions to gather resources for the leader's grand plan. Orochimaru never met the leader personally, but taking his orders was fine as long as it allowed the Snake Sannin to progress in his own goals.

Sasori was bearable, a very powerful shinobi in his own right, but no threat. He was too driven to play with his toys to see the greater picture. Orochimaru had vision. Sasori will have a role to play, the Sannin had decided, but for now, playing the good loyal follower of the leader made the most sense. Even so, on the prior mission, a bounty on a rogue ninja hiding in the Land of Fire, Orochimaru had come a little too close to Kohona in his trip to collect new minions. As it happened, only Anko had survived the marking, but it was of no consequence to Orochimaru. He had his eyes on bigger things, improving his design.

He had brought his protege along on that mission, and when they stumbled across a border patrol, Anko had gone- a little overboard. After quickly and silently dispatching the jounin, she turned to the three chunin, and left a bloody mess only a mile or so from the village. One of the chunin had apparently managed to get a message back, and things got complicated.

Orochimaru had told Sasori that he would be right back, but Anko's little display to prove her worth to him had brought some unexpected visitors: two teams of ANBU and the Toad Sage himself.

"OROCHIMARU!" Jiraiya roared as he entered the clearing.

"Kukuku, well well, what have we here? Did the old man send his little stooges out to bring me home? What a nice welcome party."

"How could you do this to those people? To the village? To sensei? To Tsunade? To me?" Jiraiya's tone dropped as he stepped into a fighting stance.

"To the village? To Sarutobi?" The Snake chuckled as he dropped into his familiar Hebi stance. "They never appreciated my brilliance. _Sensei_ will die talking about his precious Will of Fire, while dismissing the way to true strength, and his village will burn for it. As for Tsunade, we both know she doesn't care in the least whether I am still with the village. I may find her and kill her for fun, if she's crawled out of the bottle enough to make it a challenge."

"Don't you talk about her, 'Maru. I'll make you regret that."

"Kukukukuku. You think you can, oaf? I never even answered how I could 'do this' to you. The answer is simple: I never cared about you, or how you felt. You were never as good as I was, never as fast or as powerful. Your softness killed any hope you had of reaching my level, Jiraiya. You may be strong to that wretched village, but you are nothing to me. You exist on my whim. When I burn the Leaf to the ground, I will enjoy making your godson into my personal servant."

"I'll kill you." Jiraiya growled while starting to make hand signs.

"You won't have the chance, dobe."

The battle was joined. The two Sannin launched themselves at each other, spitting fire, blowing wind, and spraying mud. After both men dodged the initial onslaught, they engaged in a fierce taijutsu battle. After a few minutes of even fighting, Jiraiya struck with his right knee while simultaneously swinging with his left hand. The Snake shifted his weight, diverting the knee, while catching the punch with his right arm guard, and swinging his left into the white haired Sannin's face. Jiraiya slid back a few feet, growling, while rotating with the the strike and launching a back roundhouse with his left leg. It struck Orochimaru's guard, causing him to grunt with pain. A smirk appeared on the Snake's face, and he grabbed Jiraiya's foot, and swung the larger man into a nearby tree.

Upon reaching the tree, Jiraiya righted himself, and landed on his feet attaching himself to the trunk with chakra as he finished hand signs. "Toad Oil Bullet!" He paused as he spat a glob of oil at the Snake. "Fire Style: Flame bullet!" He launched himself forward. As Jiraiya flew forward, the flames outdistancing him as he flew to his target, he noticed a smirk on his former teammate's face as the fire engulfed him. Landing a few feet away he turned to his left as the figure in front of him turned to mud.

"Kukukuku, my my Jiraiya. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't trying to capture me after all. I didn't think you had it in you to kill your life-long comrade."

"You stopped being my comrade years ago, 'Maru. And I'm sure you can take more than that."

"Too true you fool." The pale Sannin turned over his shoulder. "Anko dear, could you go and tell my partner that I might be slightly delayed. You know how he hates that."

The stunned girl, eyes wide and jaw open from watching the two Sannin go all out, nodded and disappeared in a puff of smoke. The ANBU started to move to pursue her, when Jiraiya held up his hand to stop them. "Let her go, by the time you catch her, she will have reached his partner, who I believe is Sasori, the puppet master, formerly of Suna, right?" Jiraiya regarded Orochimaru, who merely smirked. "Stay out of the way. He's mine!"

"I should have known that the ninja world has no secrets, especially from you _Jiraiya-chan_." Jiraiya growled, while the Snake just chuckled and continued. "So I take it that you haven't retired as spymaster, even with that brat hanging all over you? Speaking of which, where is that little bastard Namikaze? I'm surprised you left his crib." Orochimaru finished with a fake smile, closing his eyes for a second when he felt a spike in chakra ahead of him.

Opening his slitted eyes, he saw Jiraiya kneeling with his hand on the ground as he whispered the technique that he had just used, trapping his legs. "Swamp of the Underworld."

Orochimaru just chuckled as his body transformed into a construct of snakes, slithering away. Jiraiya scanned the area and found the Snake Sannin perched on a rock on the far side of the field. "Kukukuku, I do love these reunions dobe, but are we going to keep playing around, or are you going to get serious?" The snake began to run through hand signs.

Recognizing them, and making his own, the Toad Sage narrowed his eyes at his former teammate as they both called out the name of their jutsu. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

Two gigantic plumes of smoke arose in the field. The ANBU jumped back as they recognized what was about to happen. As they looked on two gigantic figures began to appear through the rapidly dispersing mist. As the two figures became cleared, they heard a rumbling voice echo through the forest. "**Orochimaru! Why have you summoned me here?**" The giant serpent hissed, "**You still haven't paid me in sacrifices for the last time!**"

"Kukuku, Manda, I have an old friend for you to dispose of, I didn't think you'd want to lose this opportunity."

Manda looked up and regarded the gigantic toad sitting across from him. The huge snake narrowed his eyes at the Toad, who exhaled a plume of smoke from his large pipe. "**Very well, worm, I will fight for you- today- but you will owe me 100 sacrifices**." Orochimaru smirked as he began to get ready from the top of Manda's Head.

"**So, Jiraiya, it has come to this?**" The toad whispered.

"Yes boss. It has come to this. We need to keep this away from the village walls, so we need to direct all our attacks that way."

"**Very well, I have always wanted a snake-skin wallet.**" Jiraiya smiled and patted the head of Gamabunta, the boss toad.

The two giant figures slowly regarded each other before Gamabunta drew his tanto and launched forward at the snake. Manda curled out of the way of the attack, and lashed out with his tail, which the Toad hopped over. The serpent struck with his poisonous fangs at the air-bound toad, more quickly than could be seen with the naked eye. The toad merely flicked his sword, clanging off one of the fangs before landing behind the snake.

From the heads of the two summons, Orochimaru and Jiraiya began to hurl fire ball and gusts of wind and earth at each other. The attacks collided in mid air, creating a dull haze that began to fill the battlefield.

Miles away, the tremors of the conflict could be felt. Sasori squinted in the direction of the battle and sighed. Anko had arrived moments ago, out of breath and exhausted. The gravelly voiced man sighed. "So, if I am to understand young one, your master has gotten into a fight with the Leaf, only miles from their gates? Even worse, he is now fighting another Sannin?" Anko just nodded, robbed of breath from her flight. "We are going to be late! I hate keeping people waiting. Come along, girl." The large man turned away from the battle and began walking.

Back at the battlefield, the two Sannin had dismounted and were engaged in a smaller battle, dodging in and out of the summons' legs. "Hidden snake hands!" The pale man shouted as two solid streams of snakes flew out at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya kawarimi'd with a log, and launched himself at the Snake, with a kunai drawn. Orochimaru chuckled as his spit out the Kusanagi Sword and grasped it with an elongated tongue. The two weapons clashed, and held against each other. The sword was starting to cut into the kunai, when Jiraiya formed a rasengan with his left hand. "You're done, 'Maru!" He shouted as he was about to push the attack into the Snake Sannin's side. Suddenly, the ground shook enough for both Sannin to be thrown off balance.

Gamabunta had been straddling the Manda, pushing down his tanto while the snake's tail was wrapped around his arms, restraining the toad's arms. In one swift movement, the huge serpent had tossed the toad while still holding his arms, and body-slammed Gamabunta into the clearing. The toad was shaking his head, trying to clear the cobwebs as Manda was rapidly approaching his position.

Cursing, abandoning his attack, and kicking Orochimaru across the field, Jiraiya disappeared, and reappeared on top of Manda's head, driving his rasengan between the giant snake's eyes. Manda flopped in pain and stopped his advance at the still shaken toad. "**Curse you Jiraiya! Damn you Orochimaru! You couldn't keep this tadpole busy for even a few moments? We will talk about our arrangement soon!**"

With a gigantic poof of smoke, Jiraiya found himself landing on the ground next to a still dazed Gamabunta. "You can go home and rest old friend."

"**I am sorry Jiraiya, I was out of chakra.**" Looking around he sighed, "**You have lost your chance at him for today. I will train harder for next time.**" With that, he dispelled.

Jiraiya looked around, then closed his eyes and began to stretch his senses. He found nothing, Orochimaru had gotten away. "DAMN IT!" He roared as he fell to his knees, drained.

Miles away, the pale Sannin had caught up to his partner and protege. The larger man didn't even turn as he approached, instead chuckling: "So, your former teammate was too much for you to handle, eh Orochimaru?"

The Snake Sannin merely chuckled and placed his hand on Anko's shoulder. "No no, my dear Sasori-san, I was merely playing with him to pass the time. Hopefully I didn't delay you too much."

Anko gulped. 'Just playing? That level of battle was one that few shinobi would even dream of having, but it was nothing to her master.' She was beginning to doubt her decision to stay with this truly frightening demon, but she shook it off. Her life was for her master, she would need to get stronger.

Regarding the young girl, Sasori chuckled again. He was not so easily fooled as that child. The battle had taken a lot out of the Snake, which meant that Kohona was not as weak as leader originally thought. It would be interesting to watch.

_End Flashback_

Orochimaru opened his eyes, and regarded his partner, still fuming from his memories. "Leader needs us, dear Sasori. If I give him what he wants, he should have no problem with my elimination of a few threats along the way."

Sasori turned to the Snake Sannin, "You play a dangerous game Orochimaru. One that I will not condone. If you keep interfering with my schedule, I will not be happy."

"Kukukuku, well, my dear Sasori-san, I would want that." With that, he laughed out loud, his hoarse laughter echoing through the cavern.

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><p>AN: This was already a re-write, so I'm exhausted. My eyes hurt. As you can tell, I haven't really decided what to do with Orochimaru, but I had to introduce the character somehow. I figure this background would be nice: Seeing some interaction between Sasori and Orochimaru would be interesting, and I get to write a Sannin battle (which is a lot harder than you would think).

Hopefully you enjoyed it a little, because I think this is my longest chapter by far. I'd hate to be going backwards.

Anyway, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone.

Later,

-pp


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

Work has been a real pain this week, so I just finished this chapter like ten minutes ago

Over 3025 Hits, 1050 Visitors! I even made a community board! Go me! (Thank you Chaos Cain) Thanks for the support!

Review answers:

JAIMOL: Thanks for the note. I'm glad you like where this is going.

the DragonBard: I'm trying to reconstruct the timeline as best I can. The Naruto Wiki has been pretty helpful. As best I can tell, in the canon, Orochimaru defects after the 3rd has retaken his position as hokage. It seems as if the Tenzo/Yamato experiments happened substantially before he left the village, and were just kept secret. I often wondered how that many people could disappear from Kohona and no one would notice. Between Orochimaru and Root, it would seem like all the children in the village would be gone with no one the wiser. It's not like the Leaf is a bustling metropolis. Anyway, thanks for reading.

kakashidex: Thanks for your notes yet again! I'm glad you're sticking with me, even though you hate flashbacks, and that's all I seem to write. Good news, this chapter doesn't have any! In all seriousness though, you have provided me with the most feedback, so you have my thanks. Keep reading bro, I think you will like what I have in store.

_(Hint to everyone else, he gets love because he ALWAYS reviews. Hint hint. Unless you don't want love, then I'm sad)_

Thanks for reading everyone!

-pp

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><p><em>The Namikaze Compound<em>

"Ooof." A streak of blue and orange flew away from a tree near the center of the training area. Seconds later, a crash rang out through the meadow, as that particular tree fell in the opposite direction, completely stripped bare of its bark. A large white haired man sat next to a smaller silver haired man on the bench.

Jiraiya looked up from his conversation with Kakashi with one eye, and saw his godson extracting himself from a bush on the far side of the meadow. "What have I told you about using too much chakra when tree climbing you little knucklehead. You're going to kill yourself. Pick another tree and start again. Twenty Leaves, twice the weight."

Kakashi chuckled at the salute the near five year old gave before going back to work. "Aren't you working him a little hard? He starts the academy on Monday, right?"

"He's coming along pretty well like this, kid. At this point, I'd say he has at least as much chakra capacity as you did when you joined ANBU." Kakashi's eyes widened. "Although, he can't control his chakra worth squat. He had been doing so well at tree walking, until I started making him try it with weights on. His chakra reserves have never been higher, but he can't support the extra weight with his body."

Kakashi nodded. "But he's not going to be five until next month, surely his muscles will grow as he does, right Jiraiya-sama?"

Jiraiya looked over at the prodigy to his right. "He can't afford to waste that time. I've taught him a simple trick to overcome his physical limitations. He may be the only shinobi in existence to be able to do it, and it will be his trump card if he can master it. I won't be able to watch him when he joins the academy, so he will have to fend for himself a bit."

Kakashi looked stunned. "You didn't teach him how to control- t-that? Did you?"

Jiraiya chuckled. "No, not yet, his chakra coils would probably explode from that kind of power. Besides, with the way he is physically, he would be a like a humming-bird to most ninja, fast as hell, but unable to hit with any real power. He doesn't even know about the furball yet, at least, I don't think he does..." The Toad Sage trailed off in though for a minute, then continued. "Think simpler: how would you defeat an opponent that's faster or stronger than you." Kakashi reached for his headband, when Jiraiya shot him a look. "Not like that. Pretend that you are too low on chakra to use that eye."

Kakashi thought for a minute, "Faster? I'd probably pump chakra to my le..." He trailed off and stared at the Toad Sage.

"Yep. When shinobi need a quick speed or power boost, they pump chakra to their limbs or spike it through their bodies. The trick is maintaining the flow. Now, for most ninja, they have trained for years in tree climbing, water walking and jutsu, so the amount of chakra needed to increase their speed or strength without falling or shattering every bone in their arm comes naturally. Naruto doesn't have that advantage. His muscles will grow, but might make him the most physically powerful shinobi to walk the planet. When he can finally use the fox's chakra, he will be that much more powerful. Can you imagine the fastest shinobi in history, with Tsunade like power coming from every blow?"

Kakashi swallowed hard. The thought of his sensei's son as an adult with that sort of power behind his taijutsu was downright scary, even to a genius like him. A thought dawned on him when making his analysis. "But, shinobi, even ANBU- heck, even you and Hokage-sama can only do that in bursts. Keeping that much chakra flowing through your system for even fifteen seconds is incredibly dangerous for a ninja. Even when I push chakra to my legs, I have to time it in bursts when I'm pushing off the ground. He's going to die of chakra exhaustion in under a minute with this plan!"

Jiraiya laughed, then ducked as his godson flew past him again. "I have started creating a technique for that. It's not finished yet- AGAIN NARUTO- but once I finish, and teach it to him, that won't be a problem." Jiraiya laughed as Naruto dragged himself back to the new tree. "As for your concern, that little idiot over there has been pumping chakra through his body at thirty second clips every time he's tried climbing the tree. Watch."

Kakashi turned his attention to the boy, clad in a navy blue tee shirt with an orange spiral, blue shorts, and standard shinobi sandals. He had weights strapped to both his legs and arms, as well as on a pack on his back. Kakashi lifted his headband and observed as the boy picked up twenty leaves and began to stick them to his arms, legs, cheeks and forehead. He paused, and put his hands in a seal.

Kakashi's sharingan eye widened, as could not believe what he was seeing. The chakra flowing through Naruto's body was practically visible to his regular eye, but to the sharingan it seemed like the boy was about to unleash some horribly destructive jutsu. After the blond felt comfortable, he began to walk up the tree. Kakashi could see his muscles straining as he took his second step, bu the constant flow of chakra seemed to make the muscle relax after a moment. After four steps, however, the boy's chakra became erratic, and he rocketed off the tree backwards, shedding leaves as he flew. The entire process took about forty seconds. "A-amazing." Kakashi breathed out as he lowered his headband.

Jiraiya chuckled again at seeing Kakashi's reaction. "He'll be fine for another couple hours at this, assuming he doesn't break his neck."

"But Jiraiya-sama, didn't you say he had as much chakra as I did when I started in ANBU? I would be passed out from that last attempt alone!"

"True, I did say that. But I believe I said chakra capacity, meaning, the amount of chakra he can hold at one time. In terms of reserves, that kid may have me beat."

"E-excuse me? I must have heard that wrong. As much as you Jiraiya-sama? You're a Sannin who have trained your reserves for close to fifty years!" Jiraiya snorted at that. "This boy is- well, he's a baby!"

"Hard to believe right? Apparently, your sensei was a bit more of a genius than anyone gave him credit for. The fox's seal has been filtering and converting the demon's seal since birth. The result is that this boy has the deepest wells of chakra that I have ever seen." Taking a stick, the Sannin began to draw on the ground. "Look at it this way: Pretend chakra is water. Everyone has a way to carry that water. For civilians and very young shinobi that's like a teacup. As you train the amount of water that you can carry goes up. For example, you might have a serving bowl when graduating the academy. Most chunin, for this example have the equivalent of a bucket. You probably have a barrel at this point, while your friend Gai has two buckets. Sarutobi-sensei and I have, by this scale, a swimming pool or something like that. You following me so far?"

Kakashi nodded, so Jiraiya continued. "At this point, the knucklehead over there probably has maybe three buckets of water that he can carry at any given time, but his well is almost limitless. In that way, while you may carry more water your source becomes depleted quickly, while this kid can continue carrying his three buckets all day. You get it?"

"So, basically, even though his can't pump out a tons of chakra at once, he already has incredible stamina?"

Jiraiya nodded as he noticed his godson fly backwards into a boulder. "Alright Kiddo, time for a ten minute break. Keep the weights on."

Naruto walked over to the pair slowly. He was exhausted, and battered from his trips all over the training ground of the estate, but he was still smiling. In a way, every time he flew was fun, until he hit something, hard. "Gramps, can you and Kakashi-san tell me more about my dad again?"

Jiraiya smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair, causing him to scowl for a second. "Of course Knucklehead, then, after the break, you keep at it, while I train Kakashi, and he helps me perfect my new technique. If you're good, I may just teach it to you one day."

"But gramps, you haven't taught me any Jutsu other than substitution and henge!"

Jiraiya sighed. "Didn't I also teach you the clone jutsu?"

"Gramps! You didn't teach me that one right, I can't make a clone at all! The best I can do is make one that looks like I threw up for five hours! And can't stand up!"

Kakashi shook his head while Jiraiya lightly slapped the boy on the back of the head. "That's because you have the worse control I've ever seen in my life, and I'm a Sannin! I've been a ninja forever!" Jiraiya chuckled and the boy looked down and began to shuffle his feet. "Don't worry Kiddo, that's what training is for. I'll have you in top shape to be a ninja. That's the promise of a lifetime!" Jiraiya smirked as the boy looked up, now smiling from ear to ear. "Now, you'd better ask your questions, because you only have seven minutes left, then you're back to the tree."

The small boy groaned comically, and then began to pepper the Toad Sage and the ANBU captain with questions.

After they talked, and Naruto went back to the tree, Jiraiya pulled Kakashi over to the far side of the training ground. "Ok, here's what we are going to do. Kid, take off the headband."

Kakashi looked at the Toad Sage incredulously. "I thought you wanted me to stop training my eye..."

"Don't be an idiot Kakashi. You carry a sword correct?" Kakashi nodded and withdrew his sword from its sheath on his back. "Right, well, you know how to use the sword, correct?"

"Yes."

"That sword is a tools, you train with it, don't you?"

"Yes."

"What would happen if you lost the sword in battle? Would you just lay down and die?"

Kakashi looked confused, and narrowed his eyes at the Sannin. Although he was a genius, the eighteen year old had no idea what Jiraiya was getting at. "No sir, I would use my jutsu and other means of fighting until the battle was over."

"So, what you're saying is that you train normally, and _also_ train with your tool, is that right?" Kakashi nodded, and the Sage sighed. "Genius, huh? Anyway, your eye, like your sword is a tool. You still need to train with it. All I was saying is that you shouldn't become reliant upon it like that entire stupid clan is- the Hyuuga are the same way. I swear, dojutsu users are the worst."

Kakashi looked as if he had been slapped for a moment before regaining his composure and removing his headband. He placed it on a nearby tree stump, and walked back to the Sannin.

"Here's the plan. I am going to work on my new technique, and you are going to report what changes you see in my chakra. We are going to be at this for a while. I know how tired you get when you use the sharingan a lot, so this is going to work on your reserves and capacity, and refine your observational skill."

Kakashi nodded and prepared himself. "Jiraiya-sama, you never told me what the technique is, or what you are trying to do with it, how am I supposed to report what I see unless I know what to look for."

Jiraiya sighed, the prodigy had a point. The sharingan was not like the byakugan, the trait of the Hyuuga. While a byakugan could see the chakra pathways and tenketsu in the human body, the sharingan can not directly see the chakra. The sharingan can detect chakra flow and grants the user an incredible clarity of perception, allowing the user to pick up on subtle details, enabling them to read lip movements or mimic physical movements. As the sharingan evolves, gaining more tomoe seals, this ability extends to being able to track fast-moving objects before finally giving some amount of predictive capabilities to the user. As the eye develops, it grants the user the ability to memorize any technique that he or she witnesses, apart from other kekkei genkai techniques. The user can memorize ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu with near perfect accuracy, allowing the user to use the techniques as their own, or even modify them to create their own new techniques.

Jiraiya walked closer to Kakashi and began to explain. "Remember earlier when I was discussing how to make Naruto the most powerful shinobi to ever walk this planet?" Kakashi nodded. "And remember how he was training to keep pumping chakra throughout his body in order to enhance his physical abilities?" Another nod. "Well, I figured out a way to keep all that chakra running through his system,, rather than expending as he pushes it through is body."

Kakashi's eyes both widened. "But the chakra keeps getting used when you do that, what are you talking about?"

Jiraiya smiled at the teenager. "Kid, do you know how much chakra is wasted whenever you push chakra into your limbs? In fact, the rapidly expelling chakra from those limbs is the reason why even the top shinobi can not keep the constant flow longer than a half a minute. I figured out a way to recycle that chakra and prevent it from leaving my body. If the kid learns that, he'll be practically unstoppable. Hell, if you and I learn it, we be much stronger. What do you think?"

Kakashi pondered for a second. If this were possible, and could be taught to any ninja, the implications were limitless. The shinobi of the leaf would instantly gain a boost in stamina and fighting ability that would put them far beyond any other nation. Even a ninja with virtually no reserves would not waste any chakra, meaning that genin and chunin would be more than cannon fodder when a battle began. "I think, Jiraiya-sama, that this is the greatest idea ever!" He began to talk about the many applications he had just thought of, when Jiraiya stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Kid, the sad thing is that the amount of chakra control and capacity necessary for this technique is probably going to be beyond most ninja. The way I do it, I create a barrier of chakra around my skin, and then the chakra I use is contained. I can't even contemplate teaching this technique to anyone before I minimize the risk. Even I can only do it for maybe a minute at most before I nearly pass out from exhaustion. I haven't even began to really push my chakra out, and maintaining the barrier is difficult."

Kakashi frowned. "Well, then how are going to teach it to Naruto? You already said that he has terrible control. This seems light years beyond him." 'It's actually light years beyond me." he thought.

Jiraiya chuckled as he turned away with a smile. "That kid would rather die than give up. It may be impossible for him now, but later, when I've refined the technique? That kid will spend day and night working until he has it perfected. When he does perfect it? This techniques could even be used as more than just a recycling agent. Can you imagine what will happen when we combine it with his element? I have earth nature chakra. If I can use that, it will be better than Earth Spear for its offensive and defensive capabilities. You have lightning chakra, your punches alone would cause your opponent's nerves to go haywire. Hell, even blocking would affect their limbs."

Kakashi, though slightly disheartened, nodded resolutely. He would work to help the Sage complete the technique, then he would learn it. He would get stronger to protect his allies. "Shall we begin then?" He asked.

Jiraiya smiled before furrowing his brow in concentration. "Let's."

* * *

><p>AN: This was a slow, explanation chapter. I just re-read it again, and I think I'm actually a little sad I couldn't get more action into it. If people wanted to read about people sitting on a bench talking, this is the chapter for them. It's like Forrest Gump, with ninjas.

On a side note: Just a general question I thought about since my last chapter: How powerful are the individual Akatsuki members? Especially when compared to the Sannin and Kages? It's been bothering me for a while. Look at it this way. Itachi was a genius, but really only an ANBU captain... He was never as powerful as a Kage. Within the first few years he was gone, however, he beat Orochimaru soundly. Yet, only a few years later, both he and Kisame had to flee from Jiraiya. Sasori seems to be one of the more powerful members (more than Deidara and Hidan certainly) but he's beaten by Sakura and Chiyo at full strength. Likewise, it seems like Kage summit Sasuke is stronger than the majority of the Akatsuki members. After all, he put up a greater fight against Killer Bee than Kisame did. I'm just really confused by the inconsistency, especially about Itachi. I know Kishimoto has a hard on for the Uchiha, but the wildly erratic levels of power are troubling. Just some thoughts.

Again, hit me up if it turns out that I took something from someone. This is my first chapter actually talking about skills or techniques, so It may happen. I think I'm clear.

By the way. I never realized how much I like reviews. They are like crack to me. I'm also willing to take suggestions.

Later,

-pp


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